>> if they go there, the world will be against them. >> could happen. the jobs report, as christine mentioned, is out tomorrow. diane swonk will talk about it with us. on dangerous ground, will he join us. john berman profiled manny pacquiao -- oh, my god, i had ten people yeling in my ear. sorry, pacquiao. he has a big fight on saturday. we'll have that story as well. carol costello in "newsroom," starts right now. good morning. >> good morning. stories on "newsroom." >> three, two, one -- >> most laid back new year's celebration ever? no. celebration of washington state's brand new pot law. yes, they're smoking joints. i dare you, like double dare you. obama administration bites and says, yeah, we're prepared to go off the fiscal cliff.

roger goodell, the commissioner football fans love to hate. there's a softer, gentler side of goodell. seriously. the nfl commissioner you don't know. "newsroom" starts now. good morning. thank you so much for joining me. i'm carol costello. smoke 'em if you got 'em. recreational marijuana is officially legal in washington state. shall we say a rather mellow celebration at seattle's space needle? pot smokers lit up like it was new year's eve. new voter approved initiative went into effect midnight. this pot party technically, is illegal. wz's law bans smoking pot in public places. for now the seattle police department is turning a blind eye. this notice was sent to all officers last night. until further notice officers shall not take any enforcement action, other than to issue a verbal warning, for a violation

of initiative 502. miguel marquez is in seattle. you were there at midnight for the big party, when the law went into effect. what was it like? >> reporter: well, it was a lot of pot being smoked. i think i must have a contact high from all of that. it was one of many, many parties across the state last night as proponents of this law celebrate the first time that pot is legal here. it's the first step in a very long process. ♪ because i got high >> reporter: the moment recreational pot, anything less than an ounce no longer illegal in washington state. >> it's amazing. i'm not a criminal anymore. i can't go to jail for small amounts of marijuana. it's -- i'm free to be free. >> reporter: several dozen hard core smokers showed up here to the base of the space needle, symbol of the city and of the state to light up at the stroke of midnight. and while the new law does not

allow smoking in public places, seattle police and police departments across the state are turning a blind eye tonight, allowing celebrations to light up. this is what your stores will look like or something along these lines? >> our stores will have the feel of a fine cigar shop. >> reporter: once a high-profile executive at microsoft, now preparing to open as many as two dozen high-end marijuana shops in washington and colorado. yesterday he would be called a drug dealer. today, an entrepreneur. >> our target market is actually baby boomers. these are folks who maybe tried it in college a couple of times. maybe they didn't inhale. but now it's actually safe to inhale. >> reporter: already working on packaging and attractive displays for future clients. the state liquor control board has a year to regulate and license the growing, processing and retailing of marijuana here. all of it taxable at a very high

25%. >> we are looking at the potential of bringing in more than $500 million each year in new tax revenue. >> reporter: the big question still, what will the federal government do? pot is still illegal federally. tod today, a legal toke of revolution burning here and soon colorado. now the only thing the feds are saying is that they are reviewing the laws both here and in colorado. when this is done in the next year or so, it will look -- the pot landscape here in washington will look very different. the growers, the processors and the stores. there will be pot stores in washington state. that will be different. the one thing you won't be able to do, you won't be able to consume the pot in the stores themselves. you'll have to take it home and do it there. >> something else you won't be able to do. under washington's law, i can't grow pot in my own home, right? i can't sell it either. right? >> reporter: correct. that's the difference between the colorado and the washington law.

you will no longer be able to home grow your own here, which is why a lot of the libertarian types, the long-time pot smokers here, they don't like this law. they feel it goes too far and criminalizes marijuana too much. in colorado you can grow up to six plants on your own. the law here will be treated very much like hard alcohol, if not even harder and more restrictive than hard alcohol. >> got you. miguel marquez, reporting live from seattle this morning. also in washington state, love is in the air. same-sex marriages are now legal. at midnight couples lined up for licenses. two women, together for 35 years, the first couple to tie the knot. same-sex marriage is legal in nine states and the nation's capital and civil unions are allowed in five other states. to politics now.

the american people re-elected him and they re-elected us. that's not a mandate to raise taxes. that's what house speaker john boehner told fellow republicans during a weekly meeting, signaling he will push back on president obama's demand for tax hikes on the rich when it comes to the fiscal cliff. but treasury secretary timothy geithner says the white house will not give in. >> no prospect to an agreement that doesn't involve those rates going up on the top 2% of the wealthiest americans. remember it's only 2%. >> geithner adds the obama administration is, quote, absolutely prepared to go off the cliff, if necessary. joining me now is van jones, cnn contributor and former obama administration official. good morning. >> god morning to you. >> so, van, i guess my first question that's eatsy for geithner to say, we're perfectly willing to go off the fiscal cliff. that means a tax hike on middle class americans and maybe some of them are thinking this morning i'm not really so happy

geithner said that. >> it might have been inartful for him to say it the way he said it. i think he is making a very important point, which is that the american people did vote. they voted for the one thing the president said very clearly, which is that tax rates would go up on the wealthiest. it's an incredibly popular position. it's important for republicans to know that the white house is not going to accept any kind of a deal. that's the point he was trying to make. i think all the leverage now is with the democrats, with the president. the american public is on his side. i think it's important for the republicans not to think that they can just get any kind of deal out of him because if they do go over the cliff, there is a solution. the very next day, the house can simply pass a bill, giving tax relief to 98% of americans and we go on. >> but the house is controlled by republicans. >> and it would be the republicans fault, therefore. i think everybody knows that. >> that's a gamble, though, right? that's a gamble. >> i think what's happening right now is that republicans are gambling that the white house is going to cave and i think the white house just said

they're not going to. >> still, to go back, i think that voters, while most of them support a tax hike on the wealthiest americans, the majority of them do not want us to go off the fiscal cliff. they do not want that. they want the two sides to come together and come to some sort of agreement. if geithner is saying this and president obama continues to play hard ball, there's not going to be an agreement. we're going to go off the cliff. that's not what voters want. >> i think what voters want is what president obama said he would give them, which is a balanced approach that includes a tax hike on the wealthy and that includes other kinds of spend i spending reform. here is the problem we have right now. i think in the last term, republicans thought if they just bullied and bullied, they would eventually get their way. i think now they're in a very different situation. they're not going to get a 50/50 deal. you get a 50/50 deal when both parties are at equal distance from the american people. the republicans are now stuck out way away from the american people on this one particular issue. they need to stop being so

recalcitrant on the one issue so we can deal with the rest of the issues. it's important for the republicans to understand, the american people are clear. if we do go over the cliff because they're hanging on to tax breaks for the richest people ever born, they'll get the blame. nobody wants to go over the cliff. if we do go over the cliff, it's the republicans fault. if we do the republicans can fix it literally, the next day, for voting for tax relief. it's up to the republicans. >> let's talk about the negotiations themselves. president obama and the house speaker spoke for a short time yesterday. nobody knows exactly what they said. and president obama is going to talk to a family in virginia, sort of a deal to get -- why don't both sides go to camp david, lock themselves behind closed doors and come up with a deal? why a pr stunt, visiting voters when that's not going to get a deal done with republicans.

>> i certainly would welcome that. i think most americans would. i think what the white house is doing -- and i think it's smart -- making sure that this conversation stays where it should be, with the middle class. the white house has been raising this point. they have this #my2k, explaining to republicans and the country, we can't afford for $2,000 more to hit our tax bill. it's important for the american people to stay engaged and the white house has to keep the american people engaged and this family will be speaking for a lot of people. it doesn't make any sense, even the polls show that the wealthy are willing to pay more taxes. for some reason republicans have dugged themselves -- painted themselves into a corner. as soon as they get out of that corner, we can start solving these problems. >> van jones, thank you so much for joining us this morning. >> thank you. now to the crisis in syria. secretary of state hillary clinton meeting today with a hundred special envoy. and russia's foreign minister.

the focus of the talks is formulating a plan on how to move forward. clinton noted growing concerns that syrian president basha al assad may use chemical weapons on his own people. mohammed jamjoom joins us with that part of the story. >> reporter: state officials have said they believe syrians are loading chemical weapons, precursors for sarin, a deadly nerve gas on to aerial bomb that is could be dropped on the syrian people. monday cnn reported that u.s. officials believed that the syrians had begun mixing chemicals that could be used to weaponize sarin, but there were no signs that the syrian regime was going to do anything with those weapons. they maintain yet again today that they have no intention of using chemical weapons in syria. carol? >> mohammed jamjoom in beirut this morning. sad ending for a month-long search of two missing cousins. the bodies of 8-year-old elizabeth collins and

10-year-old lyric cook were found by hunters in the wooded area. the two girls have been missing since july. jim spellman has been following the story since lyric and elizabeth went missing. you know, i know the families were hopeful till the end. what a saddened. >> yeah, indeed. we haven't gotten official word from police that the two podiatries found by these hunters were the little girls but the family told me right from the beginning there was no doubt that there was them. overnight a facebook post from elizabeth's mom confirming it. they knew from maybe day two or three that something terrible had happened to the girls but had held out hope that maybe they would be released, like elizabeth smart. these girls would walk back into their lives again. they've been pleading in public to do it, even though they knew that every passing day that became less and less likely. they're really struggling with this. but now they say they're up in heaven. one text i got from a family member said no more suffering for their little girls. they're dealing with processing that just as police are now

going to revamp and reprocess this information, carol. >> where does the investigation stand? any suspects at all? any theories? >> it was really mysterious. these girls were out for a bike ride. four hours later somebody found their bicycles and a purse near a lake in an odd area. it was clear that somebody had -- really would have to be involved to get them that far away from their bikes in this remote area. and they were seen on some surveillance video that day, riding their bikes. but it was like they just disappeared. they couldn't find any leads. they focused on the family for a while. now they have this new crime scene. one of the first things they'll have to figure out is how far away from the home is this? what did the crime scene look like? how long had the bodies been there? this will give them more information to recharge this investigation. it's still unclear how you connect that back to evansdale. lot of work for the local police and fbi there, carol. >> jim spellman, reporting live this morning. update in the strange saga

of john mcafee. he could be deported to belize as soon as today. mcafee entered their country illegally, the guatemala officials say. police in belize want to question mcafee about the shooting death of his neighbor, gregory fall. katherine heads home with her husband, prince william, by her side. when it comes to the financial obstacles military families face, we understand. at usaa, we know military life is different. we've been there. that's why every bit of financial advice we offer is geared specifically to current and former military members and their families. [ laughs ] dad! dad! [ applause ] ♪ [ male announcer ] life brings obstacles. usaa brings advice. call or visit us online. we're ready to help.

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it is 17 minutes past the hour. accused of pushing a 58-year-old father in front of a new york city subway train is charged with second-degree murder. you are looking at naeem davis, a homeless man, filmed arguing with the victim, ki suk han before police say he shoved han on to the tracks. katherine is out of the hospital after spending three days in the hospital for severe morning sickness. royal officials say she is not yet 12 weeks pregnant so they're not announcing the due date of

the baby. gay men and women earn more money and have less debt than the average american, according to a new survey from prudential. gays earn about $10,000 more a year, have about $4,000 less in debt and are more likely to be employed. the question for you this morning, are you prepared if the nation goes off the fiscal cliff? it's the ultimate game of chicken. who will blink first on the fiscal cliff? not the obama administration as timothy geithner told cnbc, bring it on. >> is the administration prepared to go over the fiscal cliff? >> absolutely. again, there's no prospect to an agreement that doesn't involve those rates going up on the top 2% of the wealthiest. >> taxpayers might think that's easy for geithner to say. what about all those middle class families whose tax will go up more than $2,000 if, as geithner suggests, we take a

dive off that cliff? even though president obama and john boehner chatted on the phone, there's still no deal. republicans are not amused. >> incredibly, many top democrats, including the president, seem perfectly happy. perfectly happy to go off the cliff. that's why the president has been more interested in campaign rallies than actually negotiating a deal. >> many americans don't have much hope the two side also come up with a deal. they've moved on already to plan b. the retired teacher in utah has put off plans to get a new car. brian chandler, data manager in atlanta is delaying buying a house, despite needing space for his second child due any day now. several families told us they're shrinking the gift pile beneath the christmas tree this year. how about you? are you prepared if the nation goes off the fiscal cliff? facebook.com/carolcnn. facebook.com/carolc

facebook.com/carolcnn. your responses later this hour. what's it like living high above the earth? how do you celebrate the holidays? i'll ask astronaut kevin ford. he will join me, live, from the international space station. ♪ [ male announcer ] born from the elements. ♪ destined to take them over. the uconnect command center with sirius xm satellite radio in the new 2013 ram 1500. engineered to move heaven and earth. guts. glory. ram.

[ woman ] ♪ what i want this season ♪ if you'd like to try and guess ♪ ♪ it is something very special ♪ i would readily confess [ dogs barking ] ♪ 'cause all i want this season ♪ ♪ is something from your heart ♪ la da da, la da da [ male announcer ] thinking of others this holiday season, travelers.

how would you like to have a view like this out of your window? isn't that beautiful? a nighttime image of earth. see north america in the upper left-hand corner of your screen? isn't that cool? pictures composite of images received by a satellite of april and october. kevin ford doesn't have to wait for nasa to release picture like that. he sees views from space every day. he is the commander of the international space station. just a warning before we start speaking, there's about an eight-second delay because we're transmitting a long way this morni morning. so is it morning or night up there, kevin? >> it's already afternoon on board the space station. and we've already done an almost what feels like to me a full day's work. i have a little bit more work after the interview right now.

so right now we are in a night pass. we are in the northern hemisphere right now out over the pacific ocean. it's dark outside right now. we'll be in light in just a matter of about ten minutes. >> i was just going to ask you that. how can you tell the difference between night and day? because, you know, in my mind it's always dark up there. >> well, the -- space is dark but, of course, when we're on the sun side of the earth, we're in full lumination and have the reflection of the earth below us, beautiful blue earth and we're in daylight. only on the back side of the earth, opposite side of the sun, it seems like night to us. we go around earth once every 90 minutes. half of that we're in the daytime and half at night. i can't really tell in the lab. there's a window below me. but there's equipment in it and it's covered up. i can't see out of it at the

moment. we have other windows around the space station. i can tell whether the outside is lit or it's dark outside. when we're working it's just day for us with the lights on inside. >> i know i should ask you about your research, but i really want to know, what is the coolest thing you have seen up there? >> well, the coolest thing i have seen so far, in terms of like me being an astronaut and seeing something unusual, was the rendezvous, the docking of a progress spaceship. we also saw it launch right behind us, rendezvoused the same day. it was very close to it when it launched. we could see the smoke shale come all the way up into space to our altitude, which is a remarkable thing to get to see. it was rare. my colleagues docked a few weeks ago, they did their burn and entered the atmosphere right below us in the nighttime.

i got to see their spaceship -- it comes apart by design into three pieces and i got to see the pieces that were supposed to burn up, burn up in trail behind them and their little spaceship zoom out in front. that all kind of competes with just the average everyday view of the earth, which is spectacular any time you fly over anything, the amazon, rocky mountains, northeast, whatever it is, to see those beautiful things out there. i saw the typhoon the other day. it's amazing to see the earth in its glory down there. >> scott kelly is training a bit before he goes up to the international space station. did you hear that he's going to be there for a year? i don't know how long your tenure is in the international space station but could you imagine staying up there for one entire year? >> yes, i can. and, actually, when we come up, we generally come up here for a

five to six-month expeditions. mine will be a little less than five if we go home one time, march 15th. but i mentioned to my cosmonaut colleagues, be prepared. something might happen, technical problem, anything might happen and we could stay here longer. we could get a very long stay. you never know in space flight. it really depends on the health of the vehicles and the program management and all that sort of thing. there's a little uncertainty involved. but five months, you know, you're mentally prepared for that. scott and misha, koneinko, when they come, they'll be prepared for the full year. i sleep wonderful. the work is very satisfying and fun. i would love to do it, too. congratulations to both of them. it will be challenging but i think they're up for it. >> okay. before you go, could you do a backflip for me? i've always wanted to see that,

the real thing in space. >> are we all done already? i can't hardly believe that. >> oh, i love that. we'll be right back. thanks so much. >> i was a little off on my -- music is a universal language. but when i was in an accident... i was worried the health care system spoke a language all its own with unitedhealthcare, i got help that fit my life. information on my phone. connection to doctors who get where i'm from. and tools to estimate what my care may cost.

so i never missed a beat. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for more than 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. oh, let me guess --ou see this? more washington gridlock. no, it's worse -- look, our taxes are about to go up. not the taxes on our dividends though, right? that's a big part of our retirement. oh, no, it's dividends, too. the rate on our dividends would more than double. but we depend on our dividends to help pay our bills. we worked hard to save. well, the president and congress have got to work together to stop this dividend tax hike. before it's too late.

good morning. thank you so much for joining me. i'm carol costello. it's 30 minutes past the hour. stories we're watching in the newsroom. tanks and armored personnel carriers line the streets at the presidential palace in cairo following a night of violent

protests. at least five people have been killed, close to 450 more are injured. the unrest centers around mohamed morsi's decree, giving him immunity. smoking a joint is now legal in washington state. at midnight, pot users celebrated as the voter approved initiative went into effect. possessing an ounce of marijuana is a-okay. growing and selling the drug is not. plus it's against federal law. popularity of gangnam style knows no limits. ♪ gangnam style >> 81-year-old former wyoming senator simpson doing the gangnam style dance. we wanted to compare his version to the dance made famous by the north korean rapper.

simpson's version is part of a new social campaign really. and his actions may seem a little silly, but he may be taking a page out of president obama's playbook. most recently the white house urged people to take to twitter and use the #my2k. in case you forgot the former senator is one half of the simpson bowles duo appointed by president obama who actually came up with a plan to cut the deficit, a plan that everyone hailed as magnificent but no one wanted to adopt. joining me now is cnn contributor will cain. he leans right. good morning, will. >> good morning. let me tell you something. you said the popularity of gangnam style knows no limits. i beg to differ. >> you do? >> i think we just found its limits, when 8-year-olds start doing gangnam style you can count on its popularity

decreasing. we're about a year away from it being makarena. >> trying to get two sides come together to come to a deal on the fiscal cliff. >> i don't know about young people's abilities to force cats and dogs and democrats and republicans to come together to find a deal. he had a much more profound message than just simply dancing in that clip, in that psa essentially. he was trying to alert young people to the fact that old people, bluntly, are organized. look at the army of aarp representatives that ensure that programs like medicare and social security, programs that take up something like 50% of our federal budget will remain intact and won't be subjected to the necessary reform to last for young people to ever reach them. the problem is that young people don't think life goes on after the age of 30. if you're on twitter and facebook, that's a long way away. why are you worried about entitlements? >> the funny thing is that president obama is using social

media to do the exact same thing. for example, he will visit a virginia middle class family today. they were part of his twitter verse. that's why he chose them. he must think that talking to average americans might force republicans to change their minds about raising taxes on the wealthiest americans. >> well, if the most recent election is any indication, president obama is dead on right. he was -- he and his team were masters at social media in getting elected. and using social media to spread his message in nontraditional ways, ways that will be traditional in every election going forward. so, he knows what he's doing. and, by the way, i think his particular message this time looks like it's achieving success, carol. 65% of americans are very comfortable with raising taxes on the top 2%. so he knows what he wants and he's got people behind him. >> so why aren't republicans bending? eric cantore came out yesterday

and said president obama was obsessd with higher taxes and his obsession would have to go away before any deal is made. if the majority of americans feel comfortable with raising taxes on the wealthiest americans, don't republicans have to bend? >> well, look, first, i think eric cantore is right. i am taken aback at how dedicated president obama is about raising taxes on just 2% of our population, showing amazing amount of resolve to raise taxes on a group of people that won't make a significant dent in our annual deficit or ten-year deficit projections, something like 70 billion off 1.14 trillion deficit. it won't make a big dent. why is he so dedicated to it? that being said, carol, despite the fact that it sends me a little off kilter, yes, republicans lost the election. they don't have a ton of leverage. they want to try to achieve a deal that they think is going to maximize potential good for the country, meaning spending

reform, budget deficit reduction, but the truth is that they don't have a ton of leverage in forcing president obama to take a look at medicare and social security to bring this conversation full circle that really mean serious budget and deficit reform. >> well, i'm sure that the majority of americans are hoping the two sides will come to some sort of deal. wouldn't that be nice? that would be a nice christmas present. will cain, thank you. >> yeah, you bet. >> thanks so much. one of the top u.s. banks out with a pretty rosie prediction for next year. could it be enough to save your 401(k) from that fiscal cliff? ...so as you can see, geico's customer satisfaction is at 97%. mmmm tasty. and cut! very good. people are always asking me how we make these geico adverts. so we're taking you behind the scenes. this coffee cup, for example, is computer animated. it's not real. geico's customer satisfaction is quite real though. this computer-animated coffee tastes dreadful.

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if you're worried about the fiscal cliff, you might find some reassurance on wall street. one goldman sachs strategist predicts stocks could rise as much as 15% next year.

and that would be great news for your 401(k). maribel aber is live at the new york stock exchange. why the rosie outlook? >> this is coming from a strategist who has been with goldman for more than 20 years, known for being optimistic. abby joseph cohen. she points to a couple of reasons for the rally she's expecting. for one, the fundamentals of the market are healthy. large companies have excess cash and are benefiting from historically low interest rates. two, to put it simply, consumers have money to spend. they're carrying less personal debt than any time since the '90s. when americans spend, carol, the economy grows. that ends up translating to investors as being more confident. confident enough to buy into the market. since most 401(k)s closely track the s&p 500, this 10% to 15% rise cohen is expecting would be great for your retirement savings. if you start the year with, say, $30,000 and the index gains 15%,

you're looking at almost $5,000 in gains. so it probably won't surprise you that the fiscal cliff, though, is a concern. but, you know what, cohen says even if the market is shaky at the start of 2013, the gains the second half of the year will make up for it. carol? >> that's a pretty rosie outlook. there must be a counter argument. all the other -- i hear such dire things. >> of course. you know, there are other big financials that release their outlooks, too, carol. most are generally positive, though. there are some pessimists out there. wells fargo strategists expects stocks to decline next year and points to slowing growth and uncertainty about the economy. expects just a modest gain next year and that strategist says because of conversations about key structural issues keep getting pushed back there's significant uncertainty about the direction of the economy and earnings. as we always say, uncertainty is something that the market doesn't like, carol.

>> you got that right. maribel aber, thank you so much. he wants the entire senate to see it. we'll tell you about the special screening. the usual, bob? not today. [ male announcer ] bob has afib: atrial fibrillation not caused by a heart valve problem, a condition that puts him at greater risk for a stroke. [ gps ] turn left. i don't think so. [ male announcer ] for years, bob took warfarin, and made a monthly trip to the clinic to get his blood tested. but not anymore. bob's doctor recommended a different option: once-a-day xarelto®. xarelto® is the first and only once-a-day prescription blood thinner for patients with afib not caused by a heart valve problem, that doesn't require routine blood monitoring. like warfarin, xarelto® is proven effective to reduce the risk of an afib-related stroke. there is limited data on how these drugs compare when warfarin is well managed. no routine blood monitoring means bob can spend his extra time however he likes.

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common notion is this. things which are equal to the same thing are equal to each other. that's a rule of mathematical reasoning. it's true because it works. has done and always will do. >> that's daniel day-lewis as president abraham lincoln, critically acclaimed performance of lincoln may help bring bipartisanship to washington. we're learning later this month senate members will be invited to a special screening of "lincoln." kareen wynter is in los angeles. i must say after i saw this movie my faith in this country was renewed. >> you told me you loved it.

you loved requesting lincoln." it's a pretty big deal it's gotten the attention of washington. everyone in washington team to love this movie, though they may be missing the point of it. special screening of "lincoln." the story broke yesterday, harry reid setting up a screening on the floor of the senate. we've reached out to everyone involved here. one of our sources has confirmed there is a special senate screening scheduled for december 19th we're also being told, carol, there's still some details being figured out and at this stage we don't know if it will actually happen inside the capitol building, but this is at least the third time lincoln is getting a special political screening. the president, remember that, he held a special screening at the white house with the entire cast and director steven spielberg and kevin mccartney held a special screening for gop menls. if they watch the movie once,

perhaps twice, they'll be able to reach a compromise. >> here is a better idea. daniel day-lewis should do the whole lincoln get-up, go into congress, act as abe raham lincn and draw the two sides together. >> i think that may actually work. then we can have a lincoln 2. bad idea. >> thank you so much. new orleans saints fans may hate him. roger goodell's brother calls him a hero. we'll explore another side of the nfl commissioner. oliday coo. everything has to be just right. perfection is in the details. ♪ get to holiday fun faster with pillsbury cookie dough. get to holiday fun faster customer erin swenson bought so, i'm happy. today. sales go up... i'm happy. it went out today... i'm happy. what if she's not home? (together) she won't be happy. use ups! she can get a text alert, reroute... even reschedule her package. it's ups my choice.

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kobe bryant now a member of an elite group, the 30,000-point club. the lakers guard passed the milestone with that basket against new orleans last night.

34 years old, 104 days, kobe is the youngest to do it. he started playing in the nba at 17. former teammate shaquille o'neal sent out this tweet during the game. congrats for dropping 30,004 over his career and still counting. a fellow teammate tweeted congratulations to the best scorer on the planet. huge accomplishment. congrats. marking a solemn moment in sports. members of the kansas city chiefs attended the funeral for teammate jovan belcher. as you well know belcher committed suicide after killing his girlfriend kasandra perkins on saturday. the couple leaves behind a 3-month-old daughter. perkins funeral is today in texas. jovan belcher's murder/suicide led to another controversy for the nfl this year. the league that has dealt with deaths of current and former players, concussions, high profile lawsuit and bounties. the question on sunday, should

the chiefs have played the game with carolina just a day after belcher and kasandra perkins' deaths. that's just one topic that nfl commissioner roger goodell addresses in this issue of "time" magazine. the senior editor wrote the piece and joins us now. welcome. >> good morning, carol. >> so what did the commissioner tell you about belcher and the decision to play the game on sunday? >> yeah. you know, his reaction was -- he was stunned. he gets a phone call from his director of security and hearing the details and he can't believe what he's hearing. he starts to hit the phones and he knew that there was pressure not to play the game and there were thoughts on that side. you know, he reached out to the chairman of the chiefs and told them to please seek feedback from the players. he basically deferred to the players. the feedback he was getting, he says he was getting, the players wanted to play. you know, five days, four days later, it seems like it was probably the right thing to do.

the chiefs won. an emotional victory. and everybody -- it was a moment for them perhaps to forget about what happened and move on a little bit. >> so cynics may say -- critics may say the real reason was money. they wanteded ed ted to play t because the nfl is a money machine. is that too cynical? >> that's a fair argument to make. he will say and has said it's not about money. no matter what you think of him, he's pretty strong in his convictions. for example, the referee lockout whether you believe him or not, he will say over and over again that was not about money but getting a long-term deal and getting some backup officials and full-time officials to kind of hone the craft. so he's very big on that. you can believe him or not believe him but he'll stay strong on those decisions and this is another decision where he's very firm in it and he doesn't really look back or apologize or regret stuff. >> so you attended a recent nfl game with goodell. what was the fans reaction to

him? >> you know, he wasn't in new orleans. we should say that from the outset. it was fairly positive. i saw him in the jets parking lot before the game in late october. he gets out there. people shout at him. some of the saints stuff. you hate james harrison from the steelers. he's good at listening to it, smiling and not fighting back. and other people will go up to him and say good job. good job. people flock to him. he does have a presence about him. he hugs a lot of people. whatever you think of him, he's got that politician touch to tussle hair and give hugs and shake hands and he's the son of a senator. that has rubbed off on him. >> one of the most interesting aspects of your article was goodell's relationship with his brother, michael. tell us about that. >> that was a real surprise. michael -- you know, roger was kind enough to give me accesses to his brothers and have them call up. i didn't know what to expect. michael is very open.

michael was a feminine kid and he came out as a gay man after college. he was bullied a lot. roger was very protective of him. a brawler as a kid and got into fights when they were younger. there is an incident where michael visited roger in college and some tough guys were messing with him. roger cursed him out and stuff like that. michael just had a comment about, listen, this stuff is in the news. bullying gay kids and tragedies and suicides and he said this could have been me. roger protected me and my brothers protected me particularly roger because roger is a year older than michael. that could have been me if not for protection i had. he called roger one of his heros, a hero to him. i read that back to roger. i was surprised. he got teary and emotional. he never heard that before from his brother. it was kind of a very emotional real moment that was interesting to see. >> yeah. another side to roger goodell. the article is in "time" magazine. roger goodell is the cover boy

this month. thank you for sharing with us this morning. >> thanks a lot, carol. are you prepared if the nation goes off the fiscal cliff? your responses next. welcome to chevy's year-end event. so, the 5.3-liter v8 silverado can tow up to 9,600 pounds? 315 horsepower. what's that in reindeer-power? [ laughs ] [ pencil scratches ] [ male announcer ] chevy's giving more. get the best offer of the year -- 0% apr financing for 60 months plus $1,000 holiday bonus cash. plus trade up for an additional $1,000 trade-in allowance. hurry. bonus cash ends january 2nd.

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are you prepared if the nation goes off the fiscal cliff? this from jim. this so-called cliff may be the only way these guys address the deficit seriously. and ray says i don't think it will be as bad as people make it out to me. for michael i live below my means and i live paycheck to paycheck. if only elected officials had to live like i do, they would fix this asap. from donald, we're working with our financial adviser to make necessary changes to minimize our losses. and from john, short answer. yes. parachute all inspected and packed. better you should ask the

lawmakers if they're prepared for the unemployment line. keep the conversation going. facebook.com/carolcnn. next hour of "cnn newsroom" begins right now. happening now in the "newsroom" -- >> three, two, one. >> the most laid back new year's celebration ever? no. a celebration of washington state's brand new pot law and, yes, those people are smoking joints. facing deportation. guatemala may send a millionaire back to belize. syria, chemical weapons and now possibly asylum for the man who has power to gas his own people and governor chris christie asking the feds to pay 100% for the damage left by sandy. "newsroom" starts now.

good morning. thank you so much for being with us. i'm carol costello. we begin this morning in washington where the halls of congress are a little quieter now that house members have gone home for the weekend. the break comes with 26 days to go until the fiscal cliff deadline and after president obama and house speaker john boehner spoke again by phone but failed to reach a deal. boehner says revenues can be on the table just not in the form of tax hikes on the rich. treasury secretary timothy geithner says that just won't work. >> there's no point to an agreement that involve the rates going up on the top 2% of the wealthy. it's only 2%. >> geithner went on to say that he's fully prepared. the obama administration is fully prepared to go off that fiscal cliff if republicans don't agree to tax hikes on the wealthiest americans. let's bring in congressional correspondent kate bolduan.

the white house won't budge on taxes. the republican led house takes a break. can you make sense of this for us? >> i think that's a little above any of our pay grade trying to make sense of it all other than it seems that it's one more fight that we've seen over and over again and we are seeing once again it play out almost as it appears slow motion, carol. you mention the call between speaker boehner and president obama. they may have talked. no read out of the call per se. we are still a long way away from a deal that is for sure. why? because at its most basic neither side is giving on their primary position. president obama continues to insist over and over again any deal must include a tax rate increase on the top 2% of wage earners which republicans just as firmly insist is a nonstarter. today the president is going to continue his public pressure campaign according to the white house, he's meeting with a middle class family in northern virginia to discuss as they put it the importance of extending

the tax cut for the middle class. they have not extended it for the wealthy. this kind of public pressure no surprise to you has not set well with republican lawmakers, republican leaders on the hill and so we are still watching this really stare down between the two sides even though we see republican lawmakers and senators coming out and hinting they could accept a tax rate increase if it is part of a p d broader deal but boehner has strong support among his rank and file and the negotiations come down to speaker boehner and president obama. we wait, watch and listen to see if there are hints of progress. none so far. >> kate bolduan reporting live from washington. in washington state, love is in the air. same-sex marriage now legal there. at midnight couples lined up to get a license and the very first couple to tie the knot in

seattle. two women together for 35 years. right now same-sex marriage is legal in nine states and the nation's capital while civil unions are available in five other states. smoke them if you got. r recreational marijuana is now legal washington state. pot smokers lit up like it was new year's eve. the new voter approved initiative went into effect at midnight. technically this is illegal. for now the seattle police department is turning a blind eye. last night this notice was sent out to all officers. "until further notice, officers shall not take any enforcement action other than a verbal warning for violation of 1-502." what was it like? >> reporter: well, it was certainly interesting.

something different -- more different than anything i've been to before. it's a first step in a long implementation process in washington state. by the end of the year there will be pot shops on the streets throughout washington state. there will be legal pot growers. there will be pot processors. they will make everything from cigarettes and cigars to cookies and brownies if they can sell them, if they want to sell them. the one thing with these shops is you can buy the stuff there but you wouldn't be able to consume it there like you can in amsterdam and coffee houses and cafes. you would have to do it in private places. unlike booze, you couldn't do it in restaurants and bars and clubs. at midnight there were parties across the state here and i can tell you that the one here is pretty interesting. here's a taste of what it was like. >> i love washington. i love seattle. i love seattle.

i'm going to write a rap song about seattle. >> it's amazing. i'm not a criminal anymore. i can't go to jail for small amounts of marijuana. i'm free to be free. >> reporter: now, where we go from here is washington state liquor board will have to implement the rules for how this thing plays out and over the next 12 months or so they will be doing that. it is one step at a time. at the moment you aren't supposed to smoke pot on the streets here but as you said they are turning a blind eye. by the end of the year everything will be regulated and taxed very heavily here. 25% tax. proponents say they will raise a half billion dollars. $500 million a year from the sale of marijuana and marijuana products in washington state once this gets going. >> while many there are celebrating, colorado isn't ready to spark up just yet.

voters cast votes to legalize marijuana as well but it won't officially be legal for another month. jim spelman is in denver, colorado. what's the holdup? >> reporter: the governor has to cross ts and dot is to make this official. like in washington state, there's uncertainty about what the federal government is going to do before we can really have fully implemented legalized marijuana here. take a look. on election day colorado voted to legalize marijuana and by early january the governor will make it official. but don't expect the streets of denver to look like this. smoking pot in public will remain illegal but behind closed doors the times are a changing. >> adults 21 and over can possess small amounts of marijuana and grow small amounts of marijuana privately. it really is a fundamental shift from the 80 odd years of marijuana prohibition. >> reporter: brian is co-author of amendment 64 that legalized

marijuana. built into the amendment is a year long waiting period for the state to come into a system to regulate pot like alcohol and ultimately set up marijuana stores by early 2014. >> we want to be a model for the rest of the states on how to treat this policy issue correctly. >> reporter: the effects of the amendment are already being felt. in several jurisdictions pending marijuana cases have been dropped but not everywhere. ken buck is the weld county d.a. >> the law is that it is still illegal to possession marijuana and we're still prosecuting marijuana cases. >> buck opposed amendment 64. he says of the 121 pending marijuana case, three-quarters involve other crimes. he relies on marijuana charges to divert users into drug treatment programs which he says helps reduce crime. >> we'll see an increased crime rate. we'll see demotivation among high school students and others who end up smoking this. i think we're going to see the impact for years to come as a result of this experiment.

>> reporter: marijuana is still against federal law and regulators worry the administration could block legalization. >> it's the will of the voters of colorado that these actions and amendment 64 take place. that said, the federal government has a very strong interest here and so we need to know what they plan to do. >> reporter: if the federal government does attempt to block amendment 64, advocates say they are ready to fight. >> i'm an attorney. we have a team of attorneys in colorado and nationally. we're prepared to defend the will of these voters. >> reporter: keep in mind here in colorado medical marijuana is already legal and there are over 500 medical marijuana stores here. over 100,000 people on the medical marijuana registry. we sort of already have a model, a peek into the future of what this is going to look like if the federal government lets it go forward and the state can get over those hurdles and enact this amendment. >> so i admit it, i'm curious. how much for an ounce of

marijuana if you want to smoke it recreationally as is legal in colorado right now? >> reporter: most of the time that i spent reporting in medical marijuana dispensaries, a joint costs $5. an eighth of an ounce is a common amount. that's about $40. most of the people i see are buying that kind of quantity and not whole ounces at a time. people do, of course, but that's it. a lot of people in the medical marijuana dispensaries stop by and pick up one or two prerolled joints and go on their way. it's almost become the new normal here already, carol. they're in every neighborhood. they're in my neighborhood. they're around the corner from the tv studio where i am right now. i'm not sure we'll have quite a dramatic shift here that they have in washington state. i don't think we'll see big celebrations breaking out because honestly most people here who want marijuana can already get it. >> fascinating. it's just so -- i don't know -- so difficult to believe with the history of marijuana in this

country. jim spellman reporting live from denver, colorado, this morning. other stories making news, holiday sales expected to jump back to pre-recession levels this year. a research group says the average shopper will spend about $850 on gifts. about a 32% jump from last year. and more people say they're willing to pay full price for a gift instead of waiting for it to go on sale. gay men and women earn more money and have less debt than the average american. that's according to a new survey from prudential of more than 1,000 gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. they say gay people earn about $10,000 more a year, have about $4,000 less in debt and are more likely to be employed. prince william's wife is out of the hospital after spending three days for a severe case of morning sickness. they left this morning. royal officials say she's not yet 12 weeks pregnant so they're not announcing the due date of the baby. he made his mark with an anti-virus software but later

john mcafee has been known as the millionaire on the run. well now that run from the law appears to be over.

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14 minutes after the hour. the saga of john mcafee has been playing out like a movie and it looks like the next scene will be back in belize. mcafee is being detained in guatemala after they say he entered the country illegal. the foreign minister says he doesn't know how mcafee got in. he's been on the run for weeks. mcafee may be returned to belize as early as today where authorities want to question him about the death of u.s. businessman gregory fall. the two were neighbors in belize and not always on friendly terms because of mcafee's dogs. mcafee maintains he had nothing to do with it. >> no one has blamed me for the murder. i have not been charged. i am not a suspect. they merely want to question me about the murder. i am not concerned. i have not been charged with a crime. there is no basis for

extradition. >> martin savidge has been covering this story. he's actually at the airport now on his way to belize. he'll be filing a story with us with the latest developments very soon. other stories we're following this morning. secretary of state hillary clinton meeting today with the u.s. special envoy and russia's foreign minister. sources say the focus of the talks is formulating a plan on how to move forward with the crisis in syria. clinton noted growing concerns that the president may use chemical whelms eapons on his o people. more than 330 people are dead in the philippines after a typhoon. proof that we can sure light up the night sky. new video released by nasa. you can see the city lights from around the globe. it's so awesome. it took nine days for a satellite to capture these

images. it needed 312 trips around the earth to take all of the approxima pictures. they were mapped over existing imagery of the earth to make this one impressive view. wow. zynga, the game company that makes farmville wants to dabble in real money. online gambling. it filed an application for a gaming license in nevada. the only state that currently allows it. it could help zynga make up for lost revenue from other games. it will take years for new jersey to recover from sandy and its financial toll and now the governor is asking washington to help pay for all of the recovery. all of it. anncr: some politicians seem to think medicare and... social security are just numbers in a budget.

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now is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. are you prepared if the nation goes off the fiscal cliff? the ultimate game of chicken. who will brink first on tlink f fiscal cliff? as timothy geithner told cnbc, bring it on. >> is the administration prepared to go over the fiscal cliff? >> absolutely. there's no prospect to an agreement that doesn't involve rates going up on the top 2% of the wealthy. >> taxpayers may think that's easy for geithner to say. what about middle class families whose taxes will go up more than $2,000 if as geithner suggests we dive off that cliff. even though president obama and john boehner chatted by phone, there's no deal. republicans are not amused. >> incredibly many top democrats including the president seem

perfectly happy to go off the cliff. that's why the president has been more interested in campaign rallies than actually negotiating a deal. >> many americans don't have much hope the two sides will make a deal and have moved to plan b. a retired teacher in utah has put off plans to get a new car. brian chandler, a data manager in atlanta is delaying buying a house despite needing space for a second kid due any day now and several families are shrinking the gift pile beneath the christmas tree this year. how about you? are you prepared if the nation goes off the fiscal cliff? facebook.com/carolcnn. facebook.com/carolcnn. your responses later this hour. it's going to take massive amount of money to help the northeast recover from sandy. some $36 billion in new jersey alone. and now it's governor chris christie pushing the federal government to pick up 100% of that cost. if you are one of the millions of men

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good morning. thank you so much for joining us. i'm carol costello. it's just about 30 minutes past the hour. time to check our top stories. tanks and armored personnel carriers line the streets along the presidential palace in cairo. five people have been killed. close to 450 injured. the unrest settles around the president's recent decree of giving him judicial immunity until a new constitution is approved. marking a solemn moment in sports, the kansas city chiefs attended a funeral for jovan belcher. he committed suicide after killing his girlfriend kasandra perkins on saturday. the couple leaves behind a 3-month-old daughter. perkins funeral is today in texas. smoking a joint now legal in washington state. at midnight pot users celebrated as the voter approved initiative went into effect possessing an ounce of marijuana is okay but selling and growing the drug is not. it's still against federal law.

the seattle police department is telling officers to give out only verbal warnings. the politics now and ongoing finger pointing over the fiscal cliff. the white house says it's not making a deal unless republicans agree to raise taxes on the top 2% of the nation. one republican congressman from ohio tells cnn that approach is just a drop in the bucket when it comes to the deficit offering his thoughts on what it will take to reach a solution. >> if you look at just what the president is talking about, everybody says the 2% and so forth and so on. that generates $900 billion over ten years which is $90 billion a year. that would operate the government for 11 days. so we are borrowing $1.6 trillion. i think the president if he wants to take the deal and comes forward with real entitlement reform, there's a deal to be had. this is going to be a negotiation between the

president of the united states and house speaker john boehner and so we have engaged in some charades over the last 16 years where we all pretend to be working in our offices but we're not doing anything to get this done because there's nothing we can do. this is going to be a discussion between the top leaders of the house and the white house and when they signal sort of like the pope being elected, when the white smoke comes out of the capitol, we can come back and execute the deal. >> joining me now is congressman steve israel of new york. chairman of the democratic national campaign committee. welcome. >> hey, carol. >> you heard your colleague from ohio. he says sometimes negotiations between congress and the white house are "charades" and that members are waiting for signals from the obama administration and people like speaker john boehner and majority leader reid before they go forward. do you see it that way? >> well, look, it's critical that the leaders of both parties

and the white house, the house and senate come to an agreement fast. now, we have always said on the democratic side, house democrats have said we want deficit reduction that's big, bold and that is balanced. the president has put forth a variety of ideas and programs. the response consistently from house republicans has been, no, no and no. now they did come up with a proposal finally just two days ago. there are elements in that proposal we should talk about. elements in my view that we shouldn't. the bottom line is this. i'm not so sure that we can get agreement on some of the very significant differences that we have. such as on medicare and social security where republicans want to cut social security benefits and medicare benefits. we disagree with that. let's do this. this is common sense. let's at least pass tax cuts for up to the first $250,000. we can go back to washington tomorrow and do that. give middle class families the certainty they need so they can do their holiday shopping knowing how much is going to be

in their paychecks in january. washington needs to learn to pass what it can agree on and we all agree on tax cuts for the first 250. >> let's talk about possible tax hikes on middle class americans because timothy geithner in an interview with cnbc says the obama administration is willing and prepared to go off the fiscal cliff unless republicans agree to raising taxes on the wealthiest americans. i'm not sure that many middle class americans really want to hear that kind of language. should timothy geithner have said that? >> i think secretary geithner's point is that any ultimate deal has to be balanced and republicans continue to say just cut, cut entitlements, cut retirement, cut social security, cut investments in infrastructure but protect the wealthiest 2%. we say let's do it all. >> even at the expense of going off the fiscal cliff because if

we do that taxes will go up on middle class americans to the tune of 2,000 plus dollars. >> and my whole point is we can put the brakes on the fiscal cliff. they say let's cut taxes for the first $250,000. democrats say that. let's agree and pass what we can agree on and where we can't agree, we can have debates later on. i think the figure ought to be higher than $250,000. i think it should reflect the cost of living in high cost areas like long island. i'm not going to tell my constituents that make less than $250,000, that it should be more. we can all agree on $250,000 and debate what we cannot agree on. >> something about the negotiations themselves seems unusual to me. it seems that house republicans are dealing directly with

president obama and sort of skipping over their democratic counterparts like what are you guys doing? >> look, everybody needs to get into a room. there's no question about it. and i don't care whether you are negotiating a baseball contract or negotiating a solution to this fiscal cliff. we have got to get an agreement that is balanced, that is fair to both sides and i think at the end of the day, both sides will walk away unhappy. that's what a good negotiation does. i am willing to compromise. but we need someone to compromise with. bottom line is bottom line. math has to add up. the republican proposal is based on old washington equation that two plus two equals whatever you want it to be. that's not how it works. even in washington two plus two has to equal four and we need to get to a resolution that reduces the deficit by about $4 trillion and we can do it in a fair and balanced and bold way. >> congressman israel, thank you

so much for joining us this morning. >> thanks, carol. all right. just into cnn, we have confirmed senator jim demint will step down as of december 31st. he's from south carolina. leading member of the tea party. he'll take over the head of the heritage foundation. cnn's dana bash live on capitol hill with more. why did senator demint decide to step down? >> we're trying to get more information from his aides. maybe find him in the hallways here. it's a bit of a surprise because demint has felt that he's been able to be effective here in congress because he has been kind of a conservative very willing to push his own leadership in ways that often times they don't want to be pushed with regard to deficit reduction, with regard to strict fiscal policy. that's by far his number one

issue. i can tell you he's also really angered republican leaders over the past two election cycles by raising millions of dollars, a lot of money, for republican candidates who "establishment" thought were less able to win the general election. he is a purist. he's an anti-tax, anti-government purist. it does seem that he's kind of had it here. he wouldn't be the only one to say that they don't feel they can get enough done from the inside and it's probably better to go to the house. we'll try to get more information on why he's making this decision. not just to leave to go to co conservative heritage foundation but to leave before his term is up. the new jersey governor made it clear he won't play politics when it comes to his state. the governor is in washington this morning, chris christie is in washington this morning, to ask fema for cash as in christie

wants the feds to pick up 100% of the tab, perhaps unusual from a fiscal conservative who once said this. >> because the american people no longer believe this is a place where only their willingness to work hard and to act with honor and integrity and ingenuity determines their success in life. then we'll have a bunch of people sitting on a couch waiting for the next government check. >> times are different now. governor christie is asking the governor for a big check today. will he get it? >> reporter: unclear. that really is maybe the nearly $38 billion question, maybe more. in fact, i want to put on the screen some of the numbers that we're talking about. chris christie generally asked for almost $38 billion. you see 36.$8 billi8 billion an

governor of new york asking for 42 billion. there have been reports that the administration will maybe send up a request for emergency spending, so-called supplemental request for somewhere in the range of $50 billion which wouldn't come close to what these two governors asking for in a combined way. chris christie is going to first go to the white house and in fact those might be pictures right now of him walking in there to meet with very important people there including the chief of staff to the white house. but then he's going to come here. i'm told that he's going to first meet with the two democratic senators from his home state of new jersey to talk strategy and then he's going to meet with maybe the most important person he could talk to in washington and that is his fellow republican who is the speaker of the house, john boehner. why is that the most important? because he is going to be the most important person to convince that you can open up the purse strings. the very, very tight purse

strings these days to give the governor this kind of cash needed, he says, to help the victims of sandy. >> the house of representatives says to vote for funds from fema to be released to the state of new jersey. that tiny bit of time while you were away, you picked up new information about senator demint stepping down. you are one amazing woman. who what did you find out? >> reporter: modern technology really is a blessing sometimes. that's right. as we were talking i got an e-mail from senator demint's office explaining in part the answer to your question which is why is he leaving and he says that he's not leaving the fight. he says he decided to join the heritage foundation at a time when the conservative movement needs strong leadership in the battle of ideas and he says no organization is better equipped to lead that fight and he thinks his experience in public office and private sector has helped him there. he says that speaking to constituents and bringing this obviously on the fly that he

says that has told them time and time again that being in the senate was never going to be his career. he came to congress as a citizen legislator and is determined to be that and that's why he'll continue that fight. obviously there's a republican governor in south carolina who will appoint the next senator -- >> successor. >> reporter: thank you. in terms of power it shouldn't change anything. it will be an important and very powerful conservative voice within the halls of congress that won't be here anymore. >> dana bash, great job as usual. thank you so much. >> reporter: thank you. >> did your favorite bands get nominated or snubbed? we're talking grammys with kareen wynter. [ male announcer ] red lobster's crabfest ends soon.

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♪ >> the singer with amazing hair. that man has some thick hair. that's what i think of every time i see him. it's that time of year when we hand out awards for songs you couldn't get away from. nominees were announced with an all-star concert. kareen wynter keeping track of it all for us in los angeles. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, carol. everyone wants to know who took home the most -- who got the most nominations rather. that's kind of an interesting question because last night's grammy nomination show/concert because as you saw there was a performance, six different artists received six nominations each. such an impressive list. we're talking about kanye west. we're talking about jay z. frank ocean. mumford & sons. and fun. they are poised to have one of the biggest night at the awards

nominated for record of the year, best new artist and song of the year which are the biggest categories of the night but they're up against really tough competition including frank ocean who was nominated for record and album of the year as well as for best new artist. grammys are usually rewarding artists with huge hits. people are talking today about two huge snubs. can you guess who they are? can you guess? can you guess? i'm putting you on the spot. >> i can't guess. i'm out of it. >> there weren't nominations for those and they are the biggest songs this year. you saw it everywhere. you really did. a big one for you. justin bieber got the brush off. justin bieber didn't get any nominations either. guess what? his manager took to twitter to say grammy boards blew it.

how do you miss those two? biebs and psy win every year. >> they'll have to wait until next year. >> excuse me. terrible cough. >> tell us about the movie "lincoln." a special screening in the senate? >> the senate is the latest branch of the government scheduling a special screening of "lincoln." we reached out to everyone involved. one source confirmed there's a special senate screening scheduled for december 19th. we're also being told that there are details they are figuring out at this stage but we don't know if it will happen inside the capitol building. this is at least the third time now that "lincoln" is getting a special political screening. the president held a screening at the white house with the cast and director stephen spielberg and held a special screening for some gop house members so i think in the film the 13th amendment abolishing slavery

passes with less discussion than we've been having about the fiscal cliff but compromise, compromise. maybe this will inspire our leaders to kind of reach a middle ground here. we'll have to see. >> if anyone can do it, daniel day-lewis can do it. i'll let you go get a drink of water. for the latest headline news, watch "showbiz tonight" at 11:00 eastern on hln. your next apple computer could be made here in the good old usa. we'll have the latest in a shift in apple manufacturing. when you take a closer look... ...at the best schools in the world...

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by making it without 100% real cheddar cheese. but then...it wouldn't be stouffer's mac & cheese. just one of over 70 satisfying recipes for one from stouffer's. news from apple on exactly where it will manufacture the popular imac computer. tell us. >> hi, carol. tim cook did an interview with

nbc that is surprising a lot of people. apple does some work here in the u.s. but cook alluded to the fact that more american jobs could be coming. take a listen. >> you know, this iphone as a matter of fact, the engine in here is made in america and not only are the engines here made in america but engines are made in america that are exported. the glass on this phone is made in kentucky. so we've been working for years on doing more and more in the united states. next year we will do one of our existing mac lines in the united states. >> so cook confirmed to cnn apple will spend $100 million to shift assembly from china to the u.s. frankly, that's a drop in the bucket for a company of its size. it's hard to say right now if that means expanding current operations or even building out brand new ones. apple has taken a lot of criticism for its relationship with fox con in china so bringing back jobs here would

take a little bit of heat off. >> the news comes at an interesting time too because the company's stock is down quite a bit right now. it's fallen in the last couple days, right? >> you've got that right. apple shares were down before and now trading up a bit here about 1.5% trading at 547. the company hit an all-time high above 700 just this fall but since then it's really been a tough run for the stock. the big tumble came wednesday when shares of gadget giant slid more than 6%. the thing is there's no clear explanation as to why. some analysts are saying it's because of chatter that some firms raised their margin requirements on the stock and just to backtrack what that means. it's harder for investors to borrow money in order to buy it. others say it's because unlike so many other companies, apple isn't paying out special dividends to its investors to beat the fiscal cliff and news that nokia partnered with a chinese mobile company yet to

strike a deal. >> interesting. thanks so much. talkback question for you today. are you prepared if the nation goes off the fiscal cliff? your responses next. a hybrid? most are just no fun to drive. now, here's one that will make you feel alive. meet the five-passenger ford c-max hybrid. c-max says ha. c-max says wheeee. which is what you get, don't you see? cause c-max has lots more horsepower than prius v, a hybrid that c-max also bests in mpg. say hi to the all-new 47 combined mpg c-max hybrid. and with my bankamericard cash rewards credit card, i love 'em even more. i earn 1% cash back everywhere, every time.

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just about 53 minutes past the hour. a sad ending to a month long search for two missing cousins. the bodies of 8-year-old elizabeth collins and 10-year-old lyric cook were found by hunters in a wooded area. they were last seen in july when they left for a bike ride. university of colorado released almost 4,000 e-mails sent or received by james holmes accused of killing 12 people at a "batman" movie in aurora. a doctor was so concerned about holmes six weeks before the shooting but he didn't have him held for a mental evaluation

because holmes was withdrawing from schools. 11,000 cut in jobs from citi may not be enough. some critics say it needs more restructuring. the bank says it is improving efficiency. kobe bryant is now a member of an elite group. the 30,000-point club. the lakers guard passed the nba milestone with this basket against new orleans last night. bryant joins wilt chamberlain, karl malone and michael jordan as only players to pass the 30,000 point mark. kobe is the youngest ever to do it. [ male announcer ] itchy dry scalp?

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now we want your input to choose the most intriguing of 2012. go to cnn.com/intriguing to cast your vote for the top ten most intriguing people of 2012. cnn will reveal your selections on air and online on monday, december 24th. let's face it. it's easy to give into food cravings when you're traveling. there are ways to fight temptation and eat healthy on the road. in today's "daily dose" we talk about the grab and go guide to eating fast food. >> it is possible to choose healthy in the fast food lane but it takes planning. when in doubt, think like a child. order small sizes like single burgers rather than double or triple burgers and megameals. salads are okay but don't be fooled. adding creamy dressings, bacon, croutons and cheese will pile on the categories. if you really want a treat, have

a single cone of plain frozen yogurt. no sundae. end of the day your best beverage is water. nature's champagne. it's calorie and sugar free. all right. your responses to our talkback question. are you prepared if the nation goes off the fiscal cliff? after accomplishing a life-long educatiogoal, i now wonder if it was a mistake. amanda says i can't afford to go off a fiscal cliff. i'm cutting down in expenditures and gary says i'm prepared to get my passport and look for a new country. stick a fork in it. we're just about done. are you listening, lawmakers and president obama? facebook.com/car facebook.com/carolcnn if you would like to continue the conversation. thanks for the responses. i appreciate t